Lavender Orpington Chicken: Eggs, Size, Temperament & Care

Lavender Orpington chickens are large, gentle Orpingtons with soft gray-lavender plumage. They are best known for their calm temperament and unusual color, but they are still practical dual-purpose birds that can provide brown eggs and plenty of body.

There are two things I would want a new keeper to know before buying them. First, Lavender Orpingtons are not a separate chicken breed. They are Orpingtons carrying the recessive lavender color gene. Second, the American Poultry Association does not currently recognize Lavender, or Self Blue, as an Orpington variety in the U.S. The recognized large-fowl Orpington varieties are Black, Blue, Buff, and White.

That does not make Lavender Orpingtons poor backyard chickens. It simply matters if you are buying birds for exhibition or breeding to an APA Standard. For a home flock, their size, temperament, egg production, feather quality, and the reputation of the breeder matter much more.

If you want a broader look at the breed, see my complete Orpington chicken guide.

Lavender Orpington Quick Facts

Breed	Orpington
Color	Lavender, also commonly called Self Blue
APA recognition	Lavender is not currently an APA-recognized Orpington variety
Origin of Orpington breed	Orpington, Kent, England
Use	Eggs, meat, backyard pets, ornamental flocks
Rooster weight	About 10 lb
Hen weight	About 8 lb
Egg color	Light brown to brown
Egg production	Often around 150–200 eggs per year, depending on line and management
Temperament	Usually calm, docile, and people-friendly
Broodiness	Moderate to common in many lines
Cold tolerance	Good, with normal frostbite precautions

What Is a Lavender Orpington?

A Lavender Orpington should have the same basic body type and temperament people expect from other Orpingtons. The difference is the plumage color.

The lavender gene dilutes black pigment and also affects red-brown pigment. On a mostly black feather background, that creates the soft, even gray-lavender shade people associate with these birds.

The color is often called Self Blue in poultry. That can be confusing because lavender and the traditional blue gene are genetically different.

Lavender vs. Blue Orpington: They Are Not the Same Color Gene

This is one of the most useful things to understand if you plan to breed them.

Lavender is an autosomal recessive trait. A chicken needs two copies of the lavender allele to show the lavender color. A bird with only one copy normally does not look lavender but can pass the gene to its chicks.

The familiar blue color in breeds such as Blue Orpingtons follows a different inheritance pattern. Breeding blue birds can produce blue, black, and splash offspring. Lavender birds, when properly bred lavender to lavender, breed much more predictably for the lavender color.

Researchers have linked the lavender dilution phenotype in chickens to a mutation in the MLPH gene, which is involved in pigment transport inside feather-forming cells.

History of the Lavender Orpington

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The Orpington breed itself has a well-documented history. William Cook developed the original Black Orpington in Kent, England, and introduced it in 1886. His goal was a practical bird that grew well, laid useful numbers of eggs, and had the table qualities British poultry keepers wanted.

Cook later developed additional colors, and other breeders continued shaping the Orpington. The breed reached the United States in the 1890s. The APA eventually recognized Buff, Black, White, and Blue Orpingtons.

The lavender color came much later. Modern Lavender Orpington lines were developed by breeders introducing and then selecting for the recessive lavender gene while trying to keep proper Orpington size, shape, feathering, and temperament.

You may find very specific origin stories online that credit individual modern breeders with creating the Lavender Orpington. Documentation for those claims is inconsistent, so I would not treat one name or one cross as the settled history of the variety.

Are Lavender Orpingtons APA Recognized?

No, not as of 2026. The American Poultry Association lists Black, Blue, Buff, and White as the recognized large-fowl Orpington varieties. Lavender or Self Blue is not on the current Orpington list.

This mainly matters for exhibition. You can still keep, breed, and enjoy Lavender Orpingtons as backyard chickens. Just do not assume that a bird advertised as “show quality Lavender Orpington” is an APA-recognized color variety.

Lavender Orpington Appearance

A good Lavender Orpington has a broad, deep body under a lot of soft feathering. The fluffy plumage makes the bird look even bigger than it really is.

The color should look fairly even over the body, somewhere between pale slate gray and a soft silvery lavender. It is not a bright purple chicken.

The comb is single, upright, and red. Wattles and face are red. Orpingtons have white skin, and their legs should be clean rather than feathered.

Because Lavender Orpingtons are not an APA-recognized color variety, quality can vary quite a bit between breeders. Some lines have excellent Orpington type. Others have the right color but a narrower body, weaker feathering, or other traits that have drifted away from traditional Orpington type.

Lavender Orpington Size and Weight

Lavender Orpingtons should be large chickens. Standard Orpington weights are about 10 pounds for an adult cock and 8 pounds for a hen. Cockerels are around 8.5 pounds, while pullets are about 7 pounds.

Individual birds can be lighter or heavier, especially in backyard hatchery lines. Body condition also matters. A fluffy hen may look enormous while carrying less muscle than her feathers suggest.

How Many Eggs Do Lavender Orpingtons Lay?

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A realistic expectation for many Lavender Orpington lines is around 150 to 200 brown eggs per year. Some hens will do better, and some will do less.

I would be cautious with claims that every Lavender Orpington will lay 250 to 280 eggs each year. That level of production is not typical of every line, especially birds bred heavily for size, color, broodiness, or exhibition type.

The eggs are usually light brown to brown and medium to large. Egg size tends to increase as pullets mature.

Season, molt, age, broodiness, heat, winter daylight, stress, feed quality, and genetics all affect the final number. If egg production is a major reason you are buying them, ask the breeder what their own hens actually produce.

When Do Lavender Orpingtons Start Laying?

Many pullets begin laying at roughly 5 to 6 months old, but Orpingtons are large birds and some mature more slowly. A pullet that reaches laying age during short winter days may also take longer.

Watch for a redder comb and wattles, interest in nest boxes, and the typical squat response some pullets show before they begin laying.

Lavender Orpington Temperament

The calm personality is one of the main reasons people like Orpingtons.

Lavender Orpington hens are usually docile, steady birds that are comfortable around people. Many become easy to handle if they are raised with regular, calm contact.

The downside of being gentle is that an Orpington can end up low in the pecking order. Very assertive breeds may push them away from feeders or favorite roosting spots. In a mixed flock, provide enough space and more than one place to eat and drink.

They can be a good choice for families, but no chicken is automatically safe with children. Handle birds calmly, supervise young children, and judge each bird by its actual behavior.

What Are Lavender Orpington Roosters Like?

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Many Orpington roosters are calm compared with more reactive breeds, but I would never promise that every Lavender Orpington male will be gentle.

Roosters change as they mature. Genetics, flock setup, previous handling, competition with other males, and individual temperament all matter.

A mature rooster will normally have a larger comb and wattles than a hen, more pointed hackle and saddle feathers, curved sickle feathers in the tail, and a heavier overall build. He will also crow, which matters if you live where roosters are restricted.

If a rooster repeatedly attacks people, manage the problem seriously. Breed reputation should never be used as a reason to ignore unsafe behavior. My aggressive rooster guide covers the practical options.

Are Lavender Orpington Hens Broody?

They can be. Broodiness is fairly common in Orpingtons, although it varies between lines and individual hens.

A broody hen will spend most of the day in the nest, flatten herself over the eggs, protest when disturbed, and often return to the nest quickly after eating or drinking. If fertile eggs are available, Orpington hens can make good mothers.

Remember that a broody hen stops normal egg production while she sits. If you keep chickens mainly for eggs, repeated broodiness can reduce the yearly total.

See my guide to broody chicken breeds if natural hatching is part of your plan.

Cold Weather and Summer Heat

Orpingtons generally handle cold weather well. Their full feathering helps, but the upright single comb can still develop frostbite in severe cold.

A dry coop is more important than trying to make the building warm. Give humid air a way to escape above the roosts while preventing strong drafts from blowing directly across sleeping birds.

Hot weather needs more attention. Lavender Orpingtons are large and heavily feathered, so they can struggle during long periods of heat. Provide deep shade, cool clean water, airflow, and plenty of room around feeders and waterers.

For hot climates, see my guide to keeping chickens cool in summer.

Housing and Space

These are large chickens, so I would not crowd them.

Around 4 square feet of indoor coop space per adult large-fowl chicken is a practical starting point when the flock also has regular run access. In the run, around 10 square feet per bird is a sensible minimum, and more space is better.

Use sturdy roosts that can support heavy birds. Lower roosts are often easier on large Orpingtons because repeated hard landings from very high perches can be rough on feet and legs.

Give hens clean, roomy nest boxes with dry bedding. My nesting box guide explains size and placement in more detail.

For predator protection, use hardware cloth on vulnerable openings and lock the flock securely at night. Chicken wire is not strong enough for every predator. See the hardware cloth and chicken wire guide for the differences.

Feeding Lavender Orpingtons

There is no special feed for Lavender Orpingtons. Feed according to age and production stage.

Chicks need a complete starter ration. Growing pullets need an appropriate grower feed. Laying hens can move to a complete layer ration once they are actively laying.

If roosters and laying hens eat the same base ration, many keepers use an all-flock feed and offer oyster shell separately to the hens. That lets laying birds take extra calcium without forcing high-calcium feed on males or growing birds.

Provide insoluble grit when chickens eat foods other than complete feed and do not have natural access to suitable grit. My chicken grit guide explains when it is needed.

Treats should stay a small part of the diet. Orpingtons can become heavy easily, and their fluffy feathers can hide excess body condition. Feel the breast and body occasionally rather than judging weight by appearance alone.

Health Problems to Watch For

Lavender Orpingtons do not need a completely different health program from other backyard chickens.

Watch for mites and lice in the thick plumage, internal parasites where exposure is likely, respiratory signs, bumblefoot, injuries, reproductive problems, and obesity. Their soft feathering can make a quick visual health check misleading, so it is worth putting your hands on each bird from time to time.

Do not automatically deworm every bird on a fixed schedule unless your veterinarian or local poultry guidance recommends it for your situation. Parasite control should be based on exposure, symptoms, fecal testing where available, and appropriate treatment.

The same applies to vaccination. Vaccines can be very useful, but the right program depends on disease risk, location, flock type, and what hatchery vaccines the chicks have already received. For a sick bird, especially one with breathing difficulty, severe weakness, neurological signs, or ongoing reproductive trouble, contact a poultry-savvy veterinarian.

A Note About Feather Quality in Lavender Lines

Some lavender chicken lines are known for poor feather quality that keepers describe as “shredded” or frayed feathers. The feather barbs do not hold together normally, so tail and wing feathers can look ragged even when the bird is otherwise healthy.

Not every Lavender Orpington has this problem. Good breeders select hard for sound feathering and overall Orpington type. If you are buying breeding stock, ask for recent photos of the adult parents, especially the rooster’s tail and wings.

Breeding Lavender Orpingtons

The genetics are easier to understand once you remember that lavender is recessive.

• Lavender × Lavender: If both parents are genetically lavender, the chicks should inherit lavender from both sides and show lavender plumage.
• Lavender × non-lavender black: The chicks normally look black but carry one lavender copy.
• Lavender × black carrying lavender: On average, about half the chicks can be lavender and half black carriers.
• Two black carriers: On average, about 25% can be lavender, 50% black carriers, and 25% black non-carriers.

Those percentages are probabilities over many chicks, not a guarantee for one small hatch.

If you incubate eggs yourself, use normal chicken incubation procedures rather than a special Lavender Orpington setting. My egg incubator guide can help if you are setting up your first hatch.

Lavender Orpington Chicks

Lavender chicks usually hatch with pale gray, smoky, or silver-gray down. The adult color becomes clearer as the first real feathers grow in.

They are not reliably autosexing, so down color alone will not tell you which day-old chicks are male and which are female. As they mature, males usually develop larger combs earlier, then later show pointed hackle and saddle feathers and begin crowing.

For brooder basics, see my guide to raising baby chicks.

Lavender Orpington Hen vs. Rooster

Trait	Hen	Rooster
Standard adult weight	About 8 lb	About 10 lb
Eggs	Lays brown eggs	Does not lay
Comb and wattles	Smaller	Larger and more prominent
Adult feather shape	More rounded	Pointed hackle and saddle feathers; sickle tail feathers
Broodiness	Possible to common	Not applicable
Crowing	No rooster crow	Yes

How Lavender Orpingtons Fit Into a Mixed Flock

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Their calm nature makes Lavender Orpingtons easy to combine with many other gentle breeds. Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, Cochins, Brahmas, Sussex, and other generally manageable breeds often make reasonable companions when birds are introduced properly.

The main concern is bullying. A very docile Orpington can lose access to food if kept with unusually aggressive birds in a tight space. Watch new introductions closely and give the flock more than one feeder and waterer.

If temperament is one of your main priorities, see my list of friendly chicken breeds.

Pros and Cons of Lavender Orpington Chickens

Reasons to Keep Them

• Beautiful, unusual lavender-gray plumage.
• Generally calm and easy to handle.
• Useful brown egg production.
• Large dual-purpose body.
• Good cold tolerance.
• Broodiness can be useful for natural hatching.

Things to Consider

• Lavender is not currently an APA-recognized Orpington variety.
• Egg production is usually moderate rather than extremely high.
• Heavy feathering can make hot weather harder.
• Some lines have poor or frayed feather quality.
• Docile birds may be bullied by aggressive flockmates.
• Broody hens temporarily stop normal egg production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Lavender Orpingtons Worth Keeping?

If you want a calm, large backyard chicken and you like the lavender color, they can be an excellent choice.

I would choose them for temperament, appearance, moderate brown egg production, and dual-purpose size rather than because of exaggerated egg numbers. A well-bred Lavender Orpington should still feel like an Orpington first and a lavender-colored chicken second.

Before buying, look at the adult parent birds if possible. Check their size, body shape, feather quality, temperament, and the breeder’s health practices. That tells you much more than a pretty chick photo.

Sources

• American Poultry Association: Accepted Breeds and Varieties
• Oklahoma State University: Orpington Chickens
• The Livestock Conservancy: Orpington Chicken
• BMC Genetics / PubMed: MLPH Mutation and Lavender Plumage in Chickens
• Cackle Hatchery: Lavender Orpington Breed Data
• Cackle Hatchery: Feather Shredding in Lavender Chickens